Neville to step down as England Women's manager next summer
Author: Elliot Simmons | Thursday 23rd April 2020
Phil Neville has decided to step down from his post as the England women’s manager. Appointed in January 2018 and contracted until the end of the summer of 2021, he will not be looking to renegotiate.
The former Manchester United and Everton defender led the Lionesses to a first SheBelieves Cup title in 2019 and a fourth-place finish at the World Cup that same year.
However, since last year's quarter-final win over Norway, they have struggled to string together a run of form, losing seven of their 11 games and failing to retain their cup title.
Neville’s plan initially was to see over Team GB going into this summer's Olympic Games, before then taking control of the Lionesses at the Women's Euros on home soil in 2021. Now with the tournament being moved to July 2022, this will no longer have been possible.
Despite recent results, Neville has retained the support of the Football Association. The decision regarding his future has come about as a result of the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the football calendar.
With delays being caused to the Olympics and Euros the FA have now been given time to appoint a successor and perhaps look to refresh the playing squad before their run out in major tournaments.
After the 2020 SheBelieves Cup, where England lost to World Cup winners USA as well as Spain, Neville had claimed he’d be prepared to walk away if he felt he was not "motivated enough" to continue.
Also commenting: "I think we need to take a step back now and start building the foundations again - getting back to the brilliant basics”.
